This is the easiest and best pie crust recipe that I have been able to find. Gloria Donahue (a.k.a. Nana) has some great tips on how to make pie crust and she tells it like it is. She teaches this recipe to elementary school kids. It is worth it to watch this video if you want to make great pie crust. I subscribe to her YouTube channel and have learned so much from her.

Ingredients

1 cups +2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil (your choice of oil)

2 tablespoons ice water (it has to be cold)

How To

1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt

2. Add cooking oil

3. Add ice water

3. Stir lightly with a fork until it forms into a ball (don’t over mix – Nana says that pie crust doesn’t like to be handled and it’s OK if it isn’t perfect)

4. Roll out using a rolling pin and wax paper with pie dough in between two sheets of wax paper.

5. Roll into pie dish. Prick bottom and sides of pastry generously with the tines of a fork.

6. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until pastry is golden.

7. Cool on a wire rack.

Nut-Based Pie Crust

Ingredients

1 cup cashew/macadamia nuts/almonds (whatever nut you prefer)

2/3 cup dried figs/Medjool dates, pitted (about 10)

1 tsp vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract

1/8 tsp sea salt (cuts the sweetness so don’t exclude)

1 tbsp honey or coconut nectar (buy it at Save On Foods in the Baking aisle)

How To

1. Use a 9 inch pie plate or a 6 inch ceramic tart dish.

2. To make the crust: Place nuts, figs/dates, vanilla, salt, and coconut nectar in a food processor.

3. Process until crumbly and the mixture sticks together when you press it between your fingers.

4. Press the crust into the ceramic dish. Press the dough down from the center out to form the crust.

5. Place the crust in the freezer for firm up while you make the strawberry pie filling.